‘We are entitled to much more than what MHADA is giving’

Motilal Nagar residents demand their rehabilitation rights after Adani Properties' bid for redevelopment, seeking more space than the offered 1,333 sq ft.

MUMBAI: Residents of Motilal Nagar in Goregaon met on Saturday evening to discuss a plan of action to demand their rehabilitation rights post the redevelopment of the area.

‘We are entitled to much more than what MHADA is giving’

On March 11, Adani Properties had emerged as the highest bidder for the Motilal Nagar Redevelopment Project after placing the highest bid of ₹36,000 crore with the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). The bid was opened after a legal battle in the Bombay high court.

MHADA’s tender offers 1,333 sq ft for each residential apartment and 987 sq ft for commercial units post-redevelopment. Motilal Nagar 1, 2 and 3 are spread over 143 acres of prime land along Goregaon’s Link Road. The plot has 3,340 residential tenements and 328 commercial ones.

On Saturday evening, Motilal Nagar Vikas Samiti (MNVS), the group championing the rights of the area, organised an awareness meeting by involving project management consultant Akbar Jiwani and architect Sandeep Kangutkar.

“There is a hidden jewel when it comes to redevelopment of MHADA layout plots that isn’t usually disclosed,” said Jiwani. “The law permits the existing occupants a pro rata Floor Space Index of 3, which has to be equally distributed among them. This is not meant for sale.” As per the MHADA tender, the redevelopment will be undertaken under DCPR 2034’s Section 33(5).

During the presentation, attended by over 300 people, Kangutkar explained the rationale and arithmetic of Mumbai’s real estate industry in its residential projects, which on completion, are priced at sums equivalent to a family’s life savings. “Going by the calculation, each of the Motilal Nagar residents has a right to seek from 2,400 sq ft to 3,500 sq ft,” he pointed out.

Salim Khan, secretary of the MNVS said that the residents did not want to settle for “whatever is thrown at us”. “We refuse to beg for our rightful share; we are demanding what is legally ours,” he said, emphasising that the residents would not accept only 1,333 sq ft.

Addressing the gathering, Nilesh Prabhu, joint secretary of MNVS, said, “When we started digging into land details and studying the legalities involved in a redevelopment project, people called us mad. But we aren’t. The facts lie in the fine print and we have battled our way so far.”

The Maharashtra government has accorded the status of ‘special project’ to this redevelopment project. Adani Properties will have to provide 3.83 lakh sq m of housing stock to MHADA. The rehabilitation component has to be completed within seven years from the date of commencement.